MIT Technology Review - cardiachttp://www.technologyreview.com/tagged/cardiac/
enFirst Bedside Genetic Test Could Prevent Heart Complicationshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/427408/first-bedside-genetic-test-could-prevent-heart-complications/
<p>A genotyping test from a Canadian biotech company enables timely personalized drug treatment.</p><p>For some cardiac patients, recovery from a common heart procedure can be complicated by a single gene responsible for drug processing. The risk could be lowered with the first bedside genetic test of its kind. The test shows promise for quickly and easily identifying patients who need a different medication. </p>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices427408 at http://www.technologyreview.comA Pacemaker the Size of a Tic Tachttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/423134/a-pacemaker-the-size-of-a-tic-tac/
<p>Medtronic is using microelectronics to make a pacemaker so small it can be injected.</p><p>Medtronic, the world’s largest medical-device maker, is using microelectronics and chip manufacturing to shrink pacemakers—implanted devices that regulate the heart’s rhythm. Whereas current pacemakers are about as big as a silver dollar, Medtronic’s device would be smaller than a tic tac. At that size, the device would be small enough to be inserted via catheter, rather than invasive surgery. </p>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0000digitalservices423134 at http://www.technologyreview.comCell-Seeded Sutures to Repair the Hearthttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/422044/cell-seeded-sutures-to-repair-the-heart/
<p>Polymer threads coated with stem cells might one day heal damaged cardiac muscle.</p><p>Over the last decade, scientists have experimented with using stem cells to heal or replace the scarred tissue that mars the heart after a heart attack. While the cells do spur some level of repair in animals, human tests have resulted in modest or transient benefits at best. Now researchers have developed a new kind of biological sutures, made from polymer strands infused with stem cells, that might help surmount two major obstacles to using stem cells to heal the heart: getting the cells to the right spot and keeping them there long enough to trigger healing. </p>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0000digitalservices422044 at http://www.technologyreview.comShocking Treatment for Heart Repairhttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/418996/shocking-treatment-for-heart-repair/
<p>A device sends shockwaves to prompt blood vessel growth.</p><p>Cardiac patients are living longer and longer–up to 20 years after receiving stents, a heart bypass, or heart-valve replacements. But extended lifespan is often accompanied by other complications, as a repaired heart can still have difficulty getting enough oxygen. The accompanying pain, a squeezing pressure in the chest called angina, can plague patients for years, and there are some for whom no surgery can provide relief. But a noninvasive shockwave machine could help prompt the growth of new blood vessels, restoring the heart’s oxygen supply and alleviating the pain.</p>Thu, 20 May 2010 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices418996 at http://www.technologyreview.comTests May Reveal Hidden Predictors of Heart Diseasehttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/416703/tests-may-reveal-hidden-predictors-of-heart-disease/
<p>EKG patterns show who will likely die after a heart attack.</p><p>A new approach to analyzing electrocardiograms–a ubiquitous test of the heart’s electrical function–could predict who is most likely to die after a heart attack. Researchers at MIT found that measuring how much the shape of the electrical waveform varies from beat to beat identifies high-risk patients better than existing risk factors. If the findings hold up in further clinical trials, the technology could be used to figure out which heart attack patients need the most aggressive treatment. </p>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0000digitalservices416703 at http://www.technologyreview.com